Lauren Bush Debuts Sustainable Fashion Line

Lauren Bush announces sustainable fashion collectionFirst Niece Lauren Bush announced Wednesday that she was launching her first ready-to-wear collection, one that will be wholly produced in New York using sustainable and organic fabrics such as hemp silk, bamboo, and organic cotton.

Dubbed Lauren Pierce, a politically neutral combo of her first and middle names, the former model's line has been in the pipeline since the beginning of the year. "It's less about, 'I have to be an eco line,'" she points out to WWD. "But if I was going to make a line, it was important that it was about low-impact fabrics."

Lauren Pierce to help underprivileged womenBut Bush's 15-piece collection will also boast a humanitarian aspect. Several of the styles will be made of cotton that's been hand-dyed by women living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, part of a program called Women for Women International. Supporting underprivileged women is a cause Bush holds close. "They're more oppressed, they eat less, they suffer much more just because of their gender," she says. "The important thing to me is giving them a trade, a purpose, a livelihood, a job." With that in mind, 10 percent of Lauren Pierce's profits will go toward Women for Women.